Bengaluru: Gautam Adani is “nothing but a contractor for us”, and the billionaire businessman getting projects in Congress-ruled Karnataka does not change the party’s views on him, state minister Priyank Kharge said Monday, a day after Adani met Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru.
The statement came amid the BJP’s allegations of double standards, with the party accusing the Congress of portraying Adani as the face of crony capitalism while simultaneously doing business with his group.
“For us, he (Adani) is nothing but a contractor,” Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s Minister for Home Affairs, told reporters. He added that any project being awarded to the Adani group does not change the Congress party’s views of one of the wealthiest men in the country.
“Our opinion is that the central government is a slave of Adani and Ambani(s),” Kharge added.
The state home minister’s statements came a day after Adani briefly met Shivakumar at the chief minister’s residence in Bengaluru.
ThePrint has learnt that Adani was in Bengaluru to visit the Art of Living Centre and also checked with Shivakumar if the two could meet. “It was nothing more than a courtesy call since Adani had time and the CM was at home,” said a person aware of the developments, requesting anonymity.
The Gautam Adani-led multinational conglomerate has emerged as the lowest bidder for the 17-km project from Hebbal to Central Silk Board, with a bid of over Rs 20,000 crore, which is well over the state’s estimate of Rs 17,698 crore.
The meeting between Shivakumar and Adani underlines how Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s attacks on the business tycoon over his perceived close ties with the BJP have not stopped Congress-ruled states from moving forward with bids from the Adani Group on major infrastructure projects.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to accuse the Congress of double standards, courting the businessman for investments while also “using” him for political slander on the other.
“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called the country’s renowned entrepreneur Adani a BJP agent. Other Congress leaders too were making the same argument on public platforms.
Now, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has rolled out the red carpet to welcome the Adani group. Has DK Shivakumar obtained permission from Rahul Gandhi, who opposes Adani, to do this? Isn’t this Congress’s double standard?” R.Ashoka, the Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka assembly, posted on X.
ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ನಾಯಕ ರಾಹುಲ್ ಗಾಂಧಿ ಅವರು ದೇಶದ ಖ್ಯಾತ ಉದ್ಯಮಿ ಅದಾನಿಯವರನ್ನು ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಏಜೆಂಟ್ ಎಂದಿದ್ದರು. ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಇತರ ನಾಯಕರು ಕೂಡಾ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ವೇದಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇದೇ ವಾದ ಮಂಡಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು.
ಇದೀಗ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಡಿಕೆಶಿ ಅವರು ಅದಾನಿ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗೆ ರೆಡ್ ಕಾರ್ಪೆಟ್ ಹಾಕಿ ಸ್ವಾಗತಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅದಾನಿಯವರನ್ನು ವಿರೋಧಿಸುವ ರಾಹುಲ್ ಗಾಂಧಿ… pic.twitter.com/5mWY5hUKVf
— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) August 23, 2026
Kharge hit back, stating that Adani is like any other contractor who met the Chief Minister as courtesy and nothing more.
He also hit back at the BJP, who have vehemently opposed the Tunnel Project, asking about their stand now since Adani is likely to be the contractor for the contentious project.
“Now what do the BJP say? Should the Tunnel Road project be built or not since Adani has secured the contract. Their own relative has got it,” Kharge said.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also read: In Congress-ruled Karnataka, Adani is set to bag Shivakumar’s pet Bengaluru tunnel project